We have recently seen an uptick in the number of people cancelling travel plans because conferences and meetings originally scheduled to be in-person events are being converted to online formats due to the increased concerns and risks related to the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Travelers should consider these risks prior to making travel arrangements to prevent booking a non-refundable flight or hotel room that you may need to cancel.

We strongly recommend reaching out to the conference or meeting organizers prior to booking travel arrangements to inquire about the possibility of the conference being changed to a virtual event.

Finding out how many people are registered to attend the conference in person may also provide an indication of the likelihood that the conference may be converted to an online format if in-person attendance is expected to be low due to Covid-19 concerns.

If you decide to proceed with booking your trip, we strongly recommend that all University travel is booked through Concur or our travel management company, Anthony Travel, using the University-sponsored Travel card.

Booking travel through Concur or with Anthony Travel provides UConn with the greatest opportunity to exchange a non-refundable flight or hotel room and reduce or eliminate any financial loss to the University due to unexpected cancellation.

Cancelled travel arrangements booked outside of Concur/Anthony Travel may not be submitted for reimbursement since if the trip did not occur there is no basis for the University to reimburse funds. If the traveler used their University Travel Card to purchase tickets outside of Anthony Travel, they could be personally liable and will be required to reimburse the University for cancelled non-reimbursed travel.

For additional details on traveling during this time refer to our Work Related travel FAQs.

 

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